In case of an accident, if a small child is sitting in a passenger seat with an airbag, the apparatus for classifying passengers detects the passenger and does not deploy the airbag to protect the small child.
Conventional apparatuses for classifying passengers adopt a method using dielectric permittivity of an object on a seat in order to classify passengers as small children or adults. Another method is to classify passengers as small children or female adults using two strain gauge sensors installed at a position where a seat frame is mounted.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a conventional apparatus for classifying passengers in vehicles. A thin bladder 1 filled with liquid is installed under a seat cushion, and a pressure sensor 2 senses an amount of liquid leaking out of the bladder 1 to classify passengers as small children or female adults.
Also, a BTS (belt tension sensor) 3 mounted to a seat belt measures belt tension to detect small children.
However, in case of the above conventional methods, as such a device demands a costly BTS, the price or weight of the device may be increased. Additionally, freedom of buckle design is reduced and a packaging problem may occur.
The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present inventive concept, and is not intended to mean that the present inventive concept falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art.